Love in Spirit

so this was my FIRST ever short story. it was more to see if i was able to write something...so that being said, it probably isn't good! haha but i like to share it anyways. :]

Love in Spirit

It’s been a year since our last night together. The last time we said our goodbyes. Life after that seemed almost unreal but in reality I just didn’t want to believe that he was gone. This past year has been a learning experience for me, and today will be the biggest lesson of all. The problem with me was that I didn’t want to face reality; I was scared of believing the truth. I lost sight of what was real and everything he said on our last night was forgotten. My love for him blinded me from seeing what was in front of my very eyes. Most of all, he taught me the most valuable lesson on love and it took me a year to understand it. Today I leave all my fears and weaknesses behind and finally realize the meaning of his most valuable words to me.

You can say that our love began on a typical summer romance, but I believe it grew to be so much more. It began on an end of school party on the beach. It was a huge celebration, everyone I knew was there and we surrounded a huge bonfire. After a few hours, around sunset, I decided to take a break and take a walk on the beach. I admired the beauty of the sun reflecting in the water giving it a light accent of orange against the calm ocean water. Cold water ran gently over my feet while with each step my foot sunk slightly in the sand. For a few minutes I thought I was alone with my thoughts. Suddenly I had a strange feeling that I was being watched. Following my instincts, I turned around and saw a familiar face. As my best friend walked toward me, I suddenly opened my eyes to how attractive he was. He had a boyish but mature face with dark brown hair that fell just above his ears. His soft, crystal blue eyes caught my sight immediately. He had such an innocent smile that just made me want to smile too. I didn’t realize how long I was staring until he finally said something.
“Not much of a partier?”
“I just thought I would get away for a while.”
“Sorry to disturb your peace.”
“Oh no it’s fine. You want to join me?”
“Sounds good to me.”
We have been friends since elementary school. He was always there through all my drama and problems. Whether it was a fight with a friend or a break up with a boyfriend, he was there with a shoulder to cry on. Throughout the years, as we grew older, I began to be attracted to him. I started to be much more nervous when we were alone and I was never sure why. Now our friendship led to this moment that changed our relationship forever. When I came out here to take a walk along the shore, he filled my thoughts. I thought about how cute he looked and how I could never tell him how I feel. I doubted that he felt the same way and it would ruin our friendship. He came to my side and we began walking slowly along the shore. The sounds of the ocean filled the silence between us.
“What are you thinking about?” he whispered as if he was afraid to break the silence.
“I’m thinking about how happy I am that we are out of school.” I lied.
“You’re taking a walk on the beach and that’s all you’re thinking about?”
“You know me too well.”
“Of course, we’ve been friends for so long.”
We both let out a quiet laugh. I debate in my head whether I should tell him about my thoughts. I look over at him and see the fading sunlight gently highlighting his cheekbones. His lips curled into a slight smile that made my heart melt. He had a mysterious look in his eyes and right then I wanted to know what he was thinking too.
“Tell me, what’s going through your mind?”
“Oh just this girl I’ve been crushing on for a while now.”
My heart began to sink a little as I tried to hide my disappointment.
“Oh really? Who?”
“I’ll let you figure that out.”
“You really know how to torture a girl.”
He flashed an animated smile and said, “You should know this by now.”
“Do I know her?”
“You can say that.”
“Is she pretty?”
“Beautiful.”
“How long have you known her?”
“Practically a lifetime.”
“When did you start liking her?”
“Since the moment I met her.”
“What does she look like?”
“She has long silky hair and sweet, gentle brown eyes. Her smile is awkward but in a cute way, and she is really easy to talk to.”
His answers were confusing to me. I was silent for the next few moments, trying to sort out the facts he gave me. My conclusion came to the only possible answer I can think of. It couldn’t be it though, it just couldn’t be.
“Wow she sounds a lot like me!” I joked, thinking that it wasn’t possible. To my surprise, his next words were completely unexpected. He said it so quiet that I almost didn’t hear it.
“That’s because she is you.”
I thought I was imagining him saying it to me until I saw the seriousness in his eyes and his expression was so sincere. In that moment, for the first time since I’ve met him, I was speechless and didn’t know exactly what to say. That didn’t stop him from reading what my face expressed. He seemed to know exactly what to do next. We took a expected stop and he faced me taking my hands into his. He let out a soft sigh as he whispered, “Since the moment I met you I felt something that I never felt with any other girl. As the years went on the feeling grew stronger and I wasn’t so sure how to handle it. I found myself thinking about you everyday and my heart skips a beat every time I hear your voice and when I see you, my heart pounds faster with every step you come closer. It was those times that made me realize that I was in love with you…”
His words took my breathe away and everything seemed so unreal. I couldn’t help but smile because I was too shocked to do anything else. His hands felt so warm in mine and I never wanted this feeling to end. The setting was perfect as darkness started to fill the sky revealing a light layer of stars. A soft, gentle breeze traveled through the air making it slightly cold. Although I had on shorts and a bikini top on in the ocean breeze, I felt much warmer knowing that he felt the same way I did. I knew then that I was in love with him too.
Everyday after that we became inseparable and grew deeper in love as each day passed. We found out many things about each other that we didn’t know before. He was my prince charming that I always dreamed of. Every moment together was better then the one before it and every time I never wanted it to end. When I wasn’t with him I found myself thinking about him instead. Most of all, I knew he felt exactly the same way. He never failed to show his feelings and tell me his innermost thoughts. Everything was going good, but one night changed everything.
We were in the park lying beneath the nighttime sky. In the cold moist grass we laid on top of a thick warm blanket. We faced each other while looking at the stars that lit up the sky. We laughed and giggled while we whispered quietly to each other and every once in a while he would give me sweet playful kisses. I wanted to stay out there with him all night long. But then he said something that threw me off guard.
“Have you ever hoped to change the world one day? Do you ever just want to make a difference?” he said suddenly
“Yeah, of course. I never found a way to do that though.” I replied confused.
“But would you be afraid if the price of helping people means giving up the one you want to be with most?”
“Where is this coming from? Why are you saying this?”
“There is something I need to tell you, but I don’t want to hurt you.”
“What is it? Are you moving? Do you want to break up with me? Is that it?”
“No, of course not. I never want to break up with you…”
“Then what is it? You said you can tell me anything.”
”I know but I want you to know that no matter what happens I never loved anyone as much as I love you. I love you with all my heart and the last thing I want to do is hurt you.”
“What’s wrong? Please tell me you’re scaring me.” There was a sad look in his eyes and it made me want to cry. I can tell this was hard for him to say and I know that everything he has said is the truth. There was a long silence before he finally said something.
“I’ve been drafted to war.”
“No…why? Why do you have to go?”
“I know. I don’t want to go either.”
“But you can’t leave me! I love you…I don’t want you to go.”
My eyes began to water and a few moments later tears were running down my face. I buried my face in his shoulder as he put his arms around me. My body became numb and my eyes were so swollen that it was hard to open them. When he didn’t answer I realized that he was crying too. Everything felt so right when he hugged me and I never wanted him to let go. For the rest of the night we sat there crying under the stars as he held me until my eyes became dry. Soon we fell asleep in each other’s arms.
The next week that passed we spent every chance we could to be together. I tried to push the thought of him leaving to the back of my head. Soon the night I’ve been hoping to avoid finally came. On the night before he left, we went to the same beach where he first confessed his feelings for me. It was around sunset like before and we built a small fire. Even though it seemed like before it felt so much different now. The setting of the sun felt relaxing but gave of a melancholy mood. We huddled near the fire together sharing a blanket. I felt the warmth of the fire that was dancing in front of us. Mellow music that came from the radio filled the air setting the mood of our thoughts. There was silence for a long time, we were both lost in our minds. Then a slow melodic rhythm filled the air.
He gave me a sweet smile and whispered in my ear, “Will you dance with me?”
I smiled at him back as I slowly slipped my arms around his neck. His touch on my back sent chills down my spine. My head rested against his chest and I felt it rising up and down with every breathe he took. Everything felt so right and I felt like nothing bad would ever happen with us. Then that hint of reality hit me and my smile quickly turned into a frown. Sadness filled his eyes and I could tell he was thinking the same thing.
“You know I never want to leave you…” he said quietly as his voice trailed off.
I let out a soft sigh, “Are you scared?”
“I’m not scared to die. I’m scared of not having the ability to hold you in my arms or kiss you in the rain and sunshine.”
“I’m scared of not being with you.”
The melodic sounds filled the air as our embrace became to feel most comfortable. He soon whispered in a way just as sweet and melodic like the music we moved to. From his lips fell words that’s been building through all the days we spent together. Gently, his cheek meets mine as he takes a breath and finally says, “I will always be with you. Through life or spirit my love for you will never change.”
I sank deeper into his arms while his eyes met mine. Our faces begin to draw near. Our lips start to inch closer as the butterflies in my stomach flutter wildly in my gut. His lips then brushed softly against mine into a gentle, sweet kiss. We both smile in a silent joy as a tear slowly slid down my face.

Today I’m doing something that I should have done a long time ago. As I walk through the place where most people mourn, I think about those words he said to me. I never really understood what he meant until now. When I stop I stand in front of my fear I now faced. In front of me lied a headstone with the name of the boy I loved so dearly engraved across it. My eyes began to water and I start to feel chills run down my spine. A tear runs down my cheek and I suddenly feel a slight breeze. I managed to smile through my tears and it was then that I realized he was right. Whether in spirit or life he was always with me, watching over.

I really really liked this. It was beautiful.

Some of the wording was kind of awkward, and I noticed a lot of tense changes, but it was great, especially for a first story. Good job!